Following the Industrial Revolution, the United Kingdom achieved political, economic and social development earlier than other countries. The British people, who gained free time, wanted to have library services. Thus, the central government established the Public Libraries and Museums Act in 1850, which was the first in the world. The local government began to establish public libraries using tax income and provided free library services. At present, the operation and services of British public libraries have been developed and are exemplary, compared to South Korea and other developing countries. Thus, this study examined how the central and local governments in the U.K. developed their public library operations and services, and how they operate public libraries.